EF-TTOA: Development of a UAV Path Planner and Obstacle Avoidance Control Framework for Static and Moving Obstacles

With the increasing applications of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in surveying, mapping, rescue, etc., the security of autonomous flight in complex environments becomes a crucial issue. Deploying autonomous UAVs in complex environments typically requires them to have accurate dynamic obstacle perc...

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Main Authors: Hongbao Du, Zhengjie Wang, Xiaoning Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-05-01
Series:Drones
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/7/6/359
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author Hongbao Du
Zhengjie Wang
Xiaoning Zhang
author_facet Hongbao Du
Zhengjie Wang
Xiaoning Zhang
author_sort Hongbao Du
collection DOAJ
description With the increasing applications of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in surveying, mapping, rescue, etc., the security of autonomous flight in complex environments becomes a crucial issue. Deploying autonomous UAVs in complex environments typically requires them to have accurate dynamic obstacle perception, such as the detection of birds and other flying vehicles at high altitudes, as well as humans and ground vehicles at low altitudes or indoors. This work’s primary goal is to cope with both static and moving obstacles in the environment by developing a new framework for UAV planning and control. Firstly, the point clouds acquired from the depth camera are divided into dynamic and static points, and then the velocity of the point cloud clusters is estimated. The static point cloud is used as the input for the local mapping. Path finding is simplified by identifying key points among static points. Secondly, the design of a trajectory tracking and obstacle avoidance controller based on the control barrier function guarantees security for moving and static obstacles. The path-finding module can stably search for the shortest path, and the controller can deal with moving obstacles with high-frequency. Therefore, the UAV can deal with both long-term planning and immediate emergencies. The framework proposed in this work enables a UAV to operate in a wider field, with better security and real-time performance.
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spelling doaj.art-58fa2edf981447bc92badffdce3d4ebb2023-11-18T10:03:59ZengMDPI AGDrones2504-446X2023-05-017635910.3390/drones7060359EF-TTOA: Development of a UAV Path Planner and Obstacle Avoidance Control Framework for Static and Moving ObstaclesHongbao Du0Zhengjie Wang1Xiaoning Zhang2School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, ChinaSchool of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, ChinaSchool of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, ChinaWith the increasing applications of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in surveying, mapping, rescue, etc., the security of autonomous flight in complex environments becomes a crucial issue. Deploying autonomous UAVs in complex environments typically requires them to have accurate dynamic obstacle perception, such as the detection of birds and other flying vehicles at high altitudes, as well as humans and ground vehicles at low altitudes or indoors. This work’s primary goal is to cope with both static and moving obstacles in the environment by developing a new framework for UAV planning and control. Firstly, the point clouds acquired from the depth camera are divided into dynamic and static points, and then the velocity of the point cloud clusters is estimated. The static point cloud is used as the input for the local mapping. Path finding is simplified by identifying key points among static points. Secondly, the design of a trajectory tracking and obstacle avoidance controller based on the control barrier function guarantees security for moving and static obstacles. The path-finding module can stably search for the shortest path, and the controller can deal with moving obstacles with high-frequency. Therefore, the UAV can deal with both long-term planning and immediate emergencies. The framework proposed in this work enables a UAV to operate in a wider field, with better security and real-time performance.https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/7/6/359obstacle avoidanceenvironmental featuresunmanned aerial vehiclecontrol barrier function
spellingShingle Hongbao Du
Zhengjie Wang
Xiaoning Zhang
EF-TTOA: Development of a UAV Path Planner and Obstacle Avoidance Control Framework for Static and Moving Obstacles
Drones
obstacle avoidance
environmental features
unmanned aerial vehicle
control barrier function
title EF-TTOA: Development of a UAV Path Planner and Obstacle Avoidance Control Framework for Static and Moving Obstacles
title_full EF-TTOA: Development of a UAV Path Planner and Obstacle Avoidance Control Framework for Static and Moving Obstacles
title_fullStr EF-TTOA: Development of a UAV Path Planner and Obstacle Avoidance Control Framework for Static and Moving Obstacles
title_full_unstemmed EF-TTOA: Development of a UAV Path Planner and Obstacle Avoidance Control Framework for Static and Moving Obstacles
title_short EF-TTOA: Development of a UAV Path Planner and Obstacle Avoidance Control Framework for Static and Moving Obstacles
title_sort ef ttoa development of a uav path planner and obstacle avoidance control framework for static and moving obstacles
topic obstacle avoidance
environmental features
unmanned aerial vehicle
control barrier function
url https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/7/6/359
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AT zhengjiewang efttoadevelopmentofauavpathplannerandobstacleavoidancecontrolframeworkforstaticandmovingobstacles
AT xiaoningzhang efttoadevelopmentofauavpathplannerandobstacleavoidancecontrolframeworkforstaticandmovingobstacles